


The Dare

by DragonQueenAndHerBear



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, game of thrones
Genre: F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 11:23:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonQueenAndHerBear/pseuds/DragonQueenAndHerBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daenerys is dared to kiss her dad's friend Jorah during a game of Truth or Dare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rubirosas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubirosas/gifts).



> Happy birthday Cassie!!

“Ok,” said Irri, “truth or dare?”

Daenerys thought for a moment. “Dare,” she finally responded.

            Irri’s lips twisted into an evil grin, and Dany found herself getting nervous. What would Irri make her do? Surely not something too bad, not in the company of so many adults. Dany’s father was hosting a fundraiser for his company, and, not wanting to be stuck in a house full of boring adults by herself, Dany had invited her friends Irri and Doreah to come, as well. They had snuck off to her dad’s study not long after the party had started, and spent the evening playing classic slumber party games, pretending to be children again. Now it was Truth or Dare.

“I dare you,” said Irri, “to kiss Jorah.”

“Uncle Jorah!?” Dany yelped. Jorah was not really her uncle, of course, but rather a close family friend. He was old, almost as old as her father, and though he was kind to her and she cherished him, she could not imagine herself _kissing_ him.

“I can’t,” Dany said stubbornly. No way was she going to kiss Jorah, not even on a dare.

“You have to! I dared you!” Irri squealed.

“Aren’t we a little old for these games, anyway? We’ll be sophomores in college next year, after all, for god’s sake.”

“Oh, lighten up, Dany,” Doreah cut in. “Just do it. He’ll understand if you explain it afterwards.”

Dany scowled. “Fine,” she conceded. “But after this, let’s do something else, alright?”  
“Alright!” both Irri and Doreah agreed with broad smiles on their faces.

Dany sighed and stood up. “I’ll go find him. You guys follow, but not too closely. We don’t want him finding out before it’s done, after all.”

The two girls nodded their agreement, and Dany reluctantly set off to find Jorah.

            She found him out on the balcony, gazing out into the darkness of the night. He held a half-empty glass of wine in his hand. He always looked so forlorn, she had noticed. Dany had not known his ex-wife, Lynesse, but she had heard the woman was controlling, manipulative, and even Dany’s father had agreed that when she left it was for the best. Still, it seemed like Jorah had never really gotten over it, and that made Dany sad. Jorah was a real gentleman; he deserved happiness.

“Uncle Jorah,” she called out to him. He turned to her, a wide smile appearing on his face at the sight of her.

“Dany, I hadn’t seen you all evening. I’d begun to wonder if you’d snuck off.”

“Nah, I’ve just been hiding in my room. I hate these kinds of things.”

Jorah chuckled. “Want to know a secret? So do I.”

“Is that why you’re out here?” Dany asked.

“Sure is. Care to join me?”  
“Yeah, I…” _I have to kiss him. Remember the dare._ But Dany didn’t want to. She enjoyed just talking to Jorah like this—more than she enjoyed talking to anyone, really—and she didn’t want to ruin their relationship with some silly kiss. Nonetheless, she knew she’d never hear the end of it if she wimped out. And Jorah would surely understand once she explained it to him, right?  
“Dany?” Jorah inquired. Dany realized she’d been silent for some time. _It’s now or never,_ she told herself. Steeling herself, she marched right up to Jorah and pressed her lips to his.

_Clink!_ Dany heard Jorah’s wine glass fall to the floor. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she imagined his were wide open with shock. He tasted better than she imagined he would, like the wine he had just been drinking, and she almost lost herself in the sensation. Almost. _It’s done._ She began to break away when suddenly Jorah’s arms clasped around her and held her tightly. His lips began to move against hers with vigor she wouldn’t have expected from a man his age, and his tongue snaked into her mouth when she tried to gasp.

_What is he doing? He’s kissing me back!_ Shocked, Dany opened her eyes, only to find Jorah’s shut tightly, his eyebrows knit tightly together, as though this kiss was all he could think about, all he’d ever thought about. She considered struggling, but something inside her was _enjoying_ this kiss, and she couldn’t bring herself to break free. The kiss lasted a long time—how long, Dany could not say, though it felt like hours. When at last Jorah released her, she quickly stepped back, staring at him in shock. He stared back, obviously as surprised as she was, though his gaze quickly softened as he took a careful step towards her.

 

“Dany…” he began.

 

Daenerys couldn’t take it. She ran.

 

She ran as fast as she could, into the huge gardens behind her house, away from the bustling party. She could hear Jorah calling after her, but she ignored him. She knew she’d left Irri and Doreah behind, too, but she didn’t care. She needed to get away. Away from the party, away from Jorah, away from all of it. She found a bench near a water fountain and sat, burying her head in her hands. She sobbed quietly. What _was_ that? Why did Jorah kiss her back? He should have seen her as a child, should have pushed her away, and yet… why didn’t he? Dany couldn’t understand it.

A soft _crunch_ tore Dany from her thoughts. She quickly looked up to find Jorah, panting hard, standing over her. His eyes were full of some emotion she couldn’t name, didn’t want to name, and she couldn’t bear to look at him for long.

Jorah cleared his throat. “Dany, I—”

“It was a dare,” she interjected. “It was a dare. Irri and Doreah dared me to—”

“I know,” she heard Jorah say. She glanced up at him. He smiled sadly. “They found me afterwards and told me. They feel very guilty, and they promised… not to tell anyone.”

Silence.

“Why?” Dany asked in a shaky voice. “Why did you kiss me back?”

“Dany—”

“I’m the daughter of your best friend! I’m supposed to seem like a child to you! So why!?”

Jorah sighed. “You were never a child to me.”

Dany’s eyes widened, but she said nothing. What did he mean?

“Dany, I… when I first met you, you were a beautiful young 17-year-old woman. Your brother had just passed away, then your boyfriend, and yet… through it all, you stood tall and firm. Your maturity and grace left me speechless, but it wasn’t until…” Jorah hesitated.

“Until what?” Dany prompted. She couldn’t see where this was going.

“That night, when your neighbor’s house was on fire, and everyone made it out except the three children… the firemen had lost hope, but you… you ran into the burning house, scaring the living hell out of everyone there.  But then you emerged with all three children, safe and sound, and the town and the newspapers hailed you as a hero, and that’s when I knew…”

Dany froze. He couldn’t mean… “Knew what, Jorah?”

He hesitated. Slowly, he went to his knees and looked her in the eyes. “That’s when I knew that I had fallen in love with you,” he finished. Dany gasped and stood up, taking a few steps away from Jorah. He looked hurt by her actions, but she couldn’t handle everything that was going on at that moment.

“B-But… you’re so much older than me… you’re my dad’s best friend, and—”

“I know,” interrupted Jorah, standing up. “I know. I know it’s wrong. But I can’t help it. I can’t help what I feel. I love you, Dany.”

“But… what about Lynesse?” Dany quaked. Jorah’s eyebrows creased in confusion.

“Lynesse? Dany, I haven’t thought about her in ages. You’ve been the only woman in my thoughts for many years now. I had thought, when you kissed me…” He looked at the ground below his feet. “I had _hoped_ … and I was so happy, I couldn’t help but kiss you back… but I see now that I was wrong.”

Dany realized then what a horrible thing she’d done. She’d taken advantage of this man’s feelings, she’d led him on, let him believe… of course, she hadn’t known he loved her, but that didn’t ease his pain, now did it?

“Jorah, I… I’m so—”

“Don’t apologize,” he said quickly. “If you apologize, I’ll feel guilty. Guilty for enjoying that kiss so much, guilty for savoring the memory of it. I know you’ll never feel for me what I feel for you, so at the very least, let me have that kiss. Please. Alright?” He smiled sadly, and Dany could not help but cry. Cry because of this man’s kindness, his selflessness. She had hurt him, and yet he still treated her so gently, with so much love… her heart ached, and without thinking she flung herself into his arms. He seemed startled, but soon he wrapped his arms around her and folded her in a tight embrace.

“Shh, it’s ok, Dany,” he said softly. “I know you didn’t mean any harm. You couldn’t have known. It’s ok…”

Dany sobbed into his chest for what seemed like hours as he held her there, stroking her hair. Even after all this, he was still so kind to her… it made her cry even more. When at last she had shed her last tear, she looked up from Jorah’s chest. He was gazing down at her, smiling softly, still stroking her hair. Her heart pounded in her chest and, before she could realize what she was doing, she reached up and pressed her lips to his once more. While their first kiss had been passionate, this one was soft and tender, and Jorah, despite his initial shock, moved his hands to cup her face gently.

“Dany,” he breathed when at last they broke apart, his arms now around her. “I-I don’t understand… does this mean—?”

“I don’t know,” Dany confessed. “I’m so confused, Jorah. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, not even Drogo… I don’t know if this feeling is love, but… I just wanna stay here, like this with you, forever. Don’t let me go, Jorah, please don’t let me go.”

Jorah squeezed his eyes shut and held her tightly against him. “I’ll never let you go,” he said in a voice that shook with emotion. “I love you so much, Dany.”

The rest of the night seemed to pass by like a dream, but when Dany woke the next morning in a different bed, cradled in Jorah’s strong embrace, listening to him snore softly, she knew she was home. 


End file.
